By Nethula Hettihewage HFCMUN 2024 marks the 8th rendition of the Holy Family Convent Model United Nations conference, a conference of esteemed reputation amongst the MUN circuit in Sri Lanka. Held on the 29th & 30th of June, the conference saw the attendance of many participants from multiple schools from across the country, further emphasising its importance in the MUN circuit The Trinity College Model United Nations club saw great success in the conference, with all participating delegates playing major roles within committee debate and being subject to much appraisal from committee chairs and fellow delegates alike. To much pride, two participating delegates managed to gain awards in the conference. The 2 award winners are: Shaluka Herath – Honorary Mention, United Nations Security Council Nethula Hettihewage – Honorary Mention, United Nations Children’s Fund Current and past TCMUN members also had a massive role to play in the conference as committee chairs, guiding and moderating the committee through their years of experience as TCMUN members, The Chairs are: Sanchitha Wickrama – United Nations Security Council Jayageeth Basnayake – General Assembly 1 All in all, this conference was an exceptional display of talent and excellence from the members of TCMUN but also, a promise of more to come in future conferences.
By Shahrukh Fairooz, Chaniru Senhas and Disalana Jayasooriya (Web Content Team) The United Nations (UN) is an international organization founded in 1945, after World War II, with the aim of promoting peace, security, cooperation, and amicable relations among nations. It consists of 193 member states and operates through various bodies such as the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Secretariat, and specialized agencies. Model United Nations (MUN) is an educational simulation and academic activity in which students typically role-play delegates of the United Nations and simulate UN committees. Participants research a particular country’s position on various topics and engage in debates and negotiations to address global issues. MUN conferences are held worldwide, providing students with opportunities to enhance their understanding of international relations, diplomacy, and the functioning of the UN. The Trinity College Model United Nations (MUN) Club has emerged as a prominent platform for diplomatic discussions and skill development since its establishment in 2016, after its separation from the Trinity College Literary Association. Since its inception, the club has continued to actively participate in both local and international conferences such as SLMUN, SMUN, RichMUN, ACMUN and much more, refining skills of diplomacy grounded in the principles of Trinity. By means of its committed efforts to develop capable MUN delegates among its student body, TCMUN has been instrumental in establishing Model UN as a prestigious extracurricular activity in Kandy. The club has established a distinguished reputation in the MUN scene in Sri Lanka by winning awards and exhibiting domination at numerous conferences. As a result of this recognition, TCMUN’s standing in the community has been further enhanced when it was given the responsibility of planning and organising the prestigious Hill Country Model United Nations (HCMUN) conference. With the outstanding leadership of Mr. Raveendran, the Master-in-Charge of TCMUN, the club led the first-ever Hill Country MUN Conference on school grounds in 2018, marking a noteworthy accomplishment. In addition to demonstrating TCMUN’s commitment to quality, this historic occasion was the first and only MUN conference specifically designed for the Central Province, underscoring the club’s commitment to inclusivity and involvement in the community. TCMUN has established itself as a mainstay of MUN brilliance in Kandy by producing many MUN chairs and mainstream conference organizing members in addition to award-winning delegates. The club boasts a lineage of accomplished leaders under whose guidance, it has fluorished, leaving a lasting impact on Trinity’s MUN legacy: 2016: Malaka Samarasinghe 2017: Hasthi Gunaratne 2018: Lilendra Alawattegama 2019: Lukman Hassan 2020: Sadesh Rajapaksha 2021: Gesith Epa 2022: Parinda Ratnayake 2023: Vinindu Perera 2024: Sanchitha Wickrama As the journey continues, TCMUN intends to achieve even greater success and uphold its superiority throughout Sri Lanka, not just in the Central Province, as they continue to assert their dominance at other upcoming conferences. In addition, they intend to further cement their already-imprinted dignity and supremacy in MUN in the Central Province by hosting the Trinity College Model UN conference for the first time ever.
The Model United Nations Club emerged award winners at Ananda College Model United Nations Conference 2022, establishing an unprecedented record of winning awards at every conference of the year. A contingent of 15 delegates took part in the ACMUN weekend on the 5th and 6th of November. The conference took place within Ananda College Colombo premises and was the 6th edition of its kind. The award winners were as follows, Rudhesh Ram – First Higher Commendation, General Assembly 1 Kavindu Athukorala – Second Higher Commendation, General Assembly 1 Lakindu Perera – Honorary Mention, Economic and Social Council It must be especially noted that all three awards came from first time winners, exemplifying the growth nurtured at the club. However, the triumph only came following hours of tireless training with the support of seniors and old boys. Well versed in the specifics of MUN procedure and international relations, the delegates were able to take their research binders to the committee rooms with confidence and poise. A special thank you goes to Mr. V Raveendran for his continued role as the backbone of a culture of diplomacy at college. This is also extended to the old boys Sadesh Rajapakse, Tharin Rajapaksha and Dineth Keragala whose unfettered support emboldened our progress. We believe that TCMUN will continue to prosper in the years ahead built on its principles of specialization. Reviewed by Parinda Ratnayake (President of the Trinity College Model United Nations) Event Photographed by Manjula Perera (Pulse)
On the 17th of September, 31 enthusiastic Trinitians headed from College to attend the largest student conference in South Asia. This was the largest delegation that Trinity College Model United Nations had seen represent the college. Overcoming manifold struggles facing our nation, SLMUN ’22 took the necessary steps to host its grand crystal anniversary. The 31-member delegation participated in 10 committees over the two days: reflecting the mandate of the committee and their views. Trinity delegates engaged in the following committees of the conference, addressing a variety of issues and solutions: The United Nations Futuristic Security Council discussing the reform of the UN, The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on the refugee crisis of Ukraine, The UN Special General Assembly which advocated for accountability mechanisms for nations in violation of international law, The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation which tackled Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine, The International Monetary Fund on long term dependency and its impact on sustainable growth, The National Youth Assembly which dealt with issues pertaining to agriculture, energy and transport in Sri Lanka, The Economic Reforms Committee a sub-committee of the NYA dealing with economic issues, The Constitutional Reforms Committee another sub-committee of the NYA, pertaining to constitutional issues of Sri Lanka, The Independent Commission Reforms Committee the third and final sub-committee of the NYA, addressing independent commissions and of course, The World Health Assembly on the prevention of antimicrobial resistance. This SLMUN introduced delegates to various new committees as well as major changes to the usual committees. The addition of the futuristic aspect to the Security Council and the introduction of the National Youth Assembly (NYA) along with its sub-committees were amongst these changes. TCMUN can take pride in the active and engaged role played in the regular committees, but also in the National Youth Assembly. In the latter, there were many young Trinitians; debating and sharing their opinions. Prior to the conference, we received many countries, such as Australia, Romania, Benin, Haiti, Iraq and Libya. Workshops and practice debates were organized by SLMUN, and practice sessions were conducted by TCMUN for its delegates in preparation for this conference. When Trinity College delegation arrived at the BMICH for the opening ceremony of SLMUN ’22, we wished luck to one another before joining our relevant committees. Thus, began the intense and fiery first day of debate in which first impressions were cemented. The Wesley College Dormitory was our accommodation of choice for the 17th night. Two dorm rooms were occupied by Trinity and into the night the research and discussions went on. Additionally, we received the college bus for transportation to BMICH, so that we could be present for the 2nd Day of the Conference on time. On the 2nd day of the Conference, each committee drafted and submitted their resolutions. These were vital as they contained all the solutions presented throughout both days of the conference and finalized debate. It is also important to note that the resolutions presented by all the sub-committees of the National Youth Assembly were presented to the government. The closing ceremony was grant and thus it was an extremely successful conference for Trinity. Parinda Ratnayake, our president, won the 3rd best delegate for Trinity (Honorary Mention) thanks to his efforts in the committee. This conference was an incredible learning opportunity for the young and aspiring delegates of Trinity. Furthermore, this highlights the extremely eventful year TCMUN has experienced this year as this was the 3rd onsite [physical] conference of the year (4th overall). This event showcased the versatility of Trinitians and the depth of potential present at Trinity. It highlighted the students’ contributions and dedication towards clubs like TCMUN. The diplomacy and skill presented by our delegates is only a taste of what’s to come. More importantly, SLMUN has taught us, the life skills and critical thinking ability MUN can bring to one’s life. We not only learn to be better people but learn how to empower others. In conclusion, our heartfelt gratitude goes towards Mr. V. Raveendran, our Master In Charge, for accompanying us and making all of this possible. Respice Finem. “In this day and age of the ‘Aragalaya’, Sri Lanka is in dire need of politically aware and socially active leaders. We desperately need those who are critical and open-minded thinkers in corporate boardrooms and government offices. The lack thereof, signifies a broken education system which fails to nurture children in areas of intelligence but rather weave them into toxic norms of idiocracy. This is why it is crucial that we integrate clubs and societies such as MUN into the schooling system. MUN is a sanctuary for intellectual growth. It teaches you the framework in which our world works and pushes you to learn and understand the deep rooted issues of society. Yet, its resolution based outlook presents a culture of radical optimism, where you always face problems with a solution oriented mindset. While TCMUN continues to expand in membership, these integral principles blend with the core values of Trinity, creating what I believe is the foundation for our nation’s step forward.” Parinda Ratnayake, President, TCMUN Review by Master Sanchitha Wickrama (TCMUN member)
Master Parinda Ratnayake of the Trinity College Model United Nations Club was awarded the Higher Commendation at the Musaeus MUN Conference 2022. The conference organized by Musaeus College, Colombo was held on the 23rd and 24th of July via a virtual platform. Over 250 delegates took part in a range of five different committees. Parinda represented Australia at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) which discussed the topic of ‘Addressing the Issue of the Global Supply Chain Crisis and its Effects on the Post Pandemic Recovery’. The Higher Commendation award marks the second award TCMUN has won at Musaeus MUN conferences, adding on to Master Sanchitha Wickrama’s Honorary Mention award in 2021. It is also commendable to note that Trinity College had a strong delegation of 15 members who actively participated in conference discussion. The contingent hopes to extend this valued experience for awards at future conferences, with eyes on the Sri Lanka Model United Nations Conference in September. Model United Nations Club, Trinity College, Kandy
For a 5th successive year, the Model United Nations Club of Trinity College showed its significant presence at Hill Country Model United Nations, finishing with a tally of three awards and six gavels for chairing. HCMUN, the premier regional conference for the Central Province was held on the 30th and 31st of July with the guidance and support of Sri Lanka Model United Nations. With an impressive display of diplomacy and research ethic, Mast. Sanchitha Wickrama and Mast. Thesath Keppetiyagama won the Best Delegate awards in the Security Council and UN Human Rights Councils respectively. Mast. Pawan Thalagahawatte won the award for Honorary Mention in the Economic and Social Council. TCMUN was a leading force in the organizing committee of Hill Country MUN as well. In addition to hosting the conference, the following students held positions in the Executive Committee, Parinda Ratnayake – Secretary-GeneralJayageeth Basnayake – Under Secretary-General of FinanceAbidh Jameel – Head of LogisticsAfzal Sheik – Head of Designing The MIC of TCMUN, Mr. V. Raveendran served as the Charge de ’Affairs of HCMUN for the year 2022. The Trinitians also had the privilege of chairing the committees alongside the members of Sri Lanka Model United Nations. Chairing refers to the process of conducting the session and acting as an adjudicator for the delegates. The role is considered to be highly prestigious in Model United Nations and proved to be an invaluable experience for our young diplomats. Security Council – Gesith EpaUN Human Rights Council – Sadesh Rajapaksha, Parinda RatnayakeInternational Cricket Council – Jayageeth Basnayake, Abidh Jameel, Lolonyo Rahulan Hill Country MUN concluded what was an eventful latter July. The club saw growth in membership, an improvement of skills and knowledge, as well as a learning opportunity in organization and management for the committee members. The MUN Club hopes to continue this momentum for the coming months with ambitions of organizing its own conference in future. Review by Parinda Ratnayake
When 18 Trinitians departed from College on the 21st of January to Colombo while singing the school song, they were headed towards the first physical conference that the Trinity College Model United Nations Club had participated in over 2 years. Sri Lanka Model United Nations (SLMUN) remains the largest and most competitive conference in the country, and SLMUN 2021 was no exception. Even with its massive size, the organisers took the highest precautionary measures, including a vaccine mandate and postponing the conference from October last year to the 22nd and 23rd of January. During the conference, our 18 delegates took part in different committees, which, reflecting the actual UN, are divided upon their roles and mandates. This year, we took part in the following committees discussing an extremely diverse range of topics; The United Nations Security Council on the situation in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover, The UN Human Rights Council which discussed reconciliation and human rights in post-conflict Sri Lanka, The UN General Assembly Plenary concerning the use of the cyberspace in Middle Eastern conflict, The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific which had a conference topic on threats to democratic governance in the Asia-Pacific, The UN Environmental Program on alternative waste disposal methods, The International Cricket Council which discussed how to create equal playing conditions for batters and bowlers, and lastly, The World Health Assembly on the prevention and management of chronic and degenerative diseases. Two of our members also took part in an entirely different kind of committee, the International Press Corps, where they were assigned to a news agency (such as the BBC) and they had to report on the proceedings of other committees in news articles submitted daily. After recruiting willing delegates from grades 9 to 13, we began the process of participating at SLMUN through selecting the committees that we wanted to be in. Then the organisers sent us the countries we would represent (this year it was Russia and Somalia), after which we began our research to prepare for the conference well in advance. We held several practice sessions beforehand, working online due to the pandemic, reminding our younger delegates about the procedure of an actual conference. We left Kandy on the 21st and arrived at Kithu Sevana, a dormitory that Trinity often uses, where we stayed across the weekend, in the early evening. We were all very excited to see the newly-opened Central Expressway. We had two dorm rooms, where some of us burnt the midnight oil doing our last-minute research and where others did their only research for the whole conference. On the first day, we walked to BMICH, which was only 200m away from Kithu Sevana and settled into our separate committees directly after the opening ceremony. A MUN conference follows a set procedure; Speakers’ List- an open forum where each delegate is given a chance to express their country’s stance on the agenda at hand, after which the rest of the committee bombards them with questions, known as points of information, and accusations of violating their country’s foreign policy. The second phase is Moderated Caucus where delegates propose subtopics to the agenda with special focus on constructive solutions for the issues being discussed, Unmoderated Caucus is when delegates split into two groups to write out resolutions with the solutions that they support for the issues under discussion. Finally, resolution debate happens when both resolutions come under scrutiny from the delegates and only one passes with a simple majority vote from the entire committee. The closing ceremony, after 2 intense days of debate and resolution writing, was exceptionally rewarding for the TCMUN club. We were able to win three awards, a special feat given that we hadn’t won any awards at SLMUN in several past sessions. Gesith Epa, our president, was the 3rd best delegate (Honorary Mention) in the UN Security Council, often recognised as the most competitive and hardest committee at any conference. Thithira Jayakody won a Higher Commendation (2nd best delegate) in the UN Human Rights Council and Dinil Jayasuriya was part of the Best Overall News Agency in the International Press Corps. Returning to a physical conference was a nostalgic experience for our seniors and an entirely new one for our younger delegates. For both, however, this allowed us to refine our public speaking skills and revitalise the confidence needed to articulate complicated international relations jargon in a sensical manner. MUN, as a field of interest, is extremely important in allowing for delegates to develop intensive research skills that are not honed by any of our academic curricula and to be able to analyse and understand interconnected policies and motivations of different countries when approaching extremely timely and important topics to today’s world. We are proud to say that our participation at SLMUN has undoubtedly helped us to be more aware of who we are and where we stand as citizens, and more importantly, as a human species. Finally, We would like to extend our gratitude to Mr. V. Raveendran, our Master in Charge, for sorting out all the administrative tasks and accompanying us to Colombo. “As TCMUN celebrates its new streak of awards in conference I believe that we should stick to the core principle that our club is based on within Trinity. That is to prioritise diplomacy over competition. MUN is a role playing simulation of diplomats, ambassadors, representatives and journalists and we as MUNers should be careful as to what we learn from MUN and what we aspire to be in the future. Do we reflect what our leaders decide in councils & committees, write articles for news agencies or do we make the news and make decisions for the international community as leaders of the world?” Gesith Epa, President, TCMUN Review by Thithira Jayakody (TCMUN)
Seeking to foster creativity and recognize the exceptional talents in participating delegates, Royal College Model United Nations (RCMUN) introduced new elements to the local Model United Nations (MUN) circuit, with the most notable change being the addition of the International Olympics Committee, which opened new angles of debate and research to the standard MUN procedure. The Trinity College Model United Nations (TCMUN) Club took part in the 2019 Royal College Model United Nations, held on the 6th, 7th and 8th of September, in both Royal College premises and Cinnamon Lakeside, and organized by The English Literary Association of Royal College, Colombo. Three delegates attended this conference from TCMUN: Gesith Sujaya Epa Naveen Madunkoth Thithira Jayakody All three delegates were members of the Disarmament and Security Committee, also known as the First General Assembly, one of the largest committees in any conference, with a reputation for extreme competitiveness. Additionally, TCMUN was honoured to receive an official invitation for its President Master L. H. Shafi to act as a member of the Executive Committee of RCMUN 2019. TCMUN wishes to thank the Master in Charge and Faculty Advisor, Mr V. Ravindran for his invaluable support and dedication towards the betterment of the club, and for being with TCMUN at this conference. Reviewed by Thithira Jayakody
The conference submerged in suspense as the delegate concluded his statement. The head table watched on as one bold hand raised, “Right to reply, your honour”. Slowly the entire committee descended into chaos as debates broke out and young envoys struggled to resolve the world’s problems. The United Nations Organization is the most powerful inter-governmental organization in the world. Simulating the consequential actions of the UN, Model United Nations (MUN) was born. Students role-play the nerve-racking task of national representatives in a committee of the UN, where they research on a country and participate in debate to discuss world issues, with the hope of formulating feasible solutions. The goal is to engage young minds in debate and introduce them to diplomacy and the many intricacies related to them. MUN has existed for a long time, with the concept first being introduced way back in the 1920s as a ‘League of Nations’ simulation. The first recorded MUN conference took place in Swarthmore College on April 5th, 1947. 70 years later and nearly 14,000 km away Trinity College and Gateway College worked hand in hand with the Sri Lanka Model United Nations (SLMUN) Executive Committee to organize the first Hill Country Model United Nations (HCMUN) conference. Three years on it continues as an opportunity for smaller schools in the Central Province to experience MUN. This year marks the second consecutive edition of HCMUN hosted at Trinity. The conference was held over the weekend of 24th and 25th of August. A preliminary workshop was held beforehand to introduce the new delegates to the concept. The sessions were held at the Junior School premises and were attended by: Dharmaraja College, Kandy Gateway College, Kandy Kandy Girls’ High School Badi-ud-Deen Mahmud Girls’ College, Kandy Zahira College, Gampola Four prominent UN committees, United Nations Security Council (UNSC), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), United Nations General Assembly First Committee (GA1) and United Nations General Assembly Third Committee (GA3) were allocated to suit the attendance. While most committees were chaired by SLMUN ExCos, three senior members of Trinity College MUN were presented the unique opportunity of co-chairing committees at HCMUN. Lukman Hassan (UNSC) Yadesh Mohandas (SOCHUM – Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee) Sadesh Rajapakshe (DISEC – Disarmament and International Security Committee) Apart from chairing committees, members of Trinity College MUN also secured awards in their respective committees. Thithira Jayakody won “Higher Recommendation” in UNODC and Amjad Nazeem won “Honorary Mention” in the UNSC. This year’s HCMUN served as invaluable experience for the boys of Trinity College MUN to become better delegates and perform well at other conferences. TCMUN wishes to thank Mr Raveendran, Mr Bilaal Marikkar and executive committee of SLMUN for the services rendered to conclude this event successfully. Hill Country Model United Nations Conference continues to be the premier MUN platform in the Central Province and hopes to grow further to make MUN and the skills gained from it more accessible to student throughout the Hill Country and Sri Lanka Reviewed by Lukman Hassan and Parinda Ratnayake
A chosen team of Grade 11 students from Trinity received the opportunity of posing for a hard-earned photograph with the world renowned cricketer and old boy of Trinity, Mr Kumar Sangakkara at the “Chat with Sanga” programme organized by the British Council, Kandy on the 12th of September 2019. This event allowed the O/L students of Kandy schools an exceptional insight to the text “The Lahore Attack”, an extract from the Colin Cowdrey Lecture delivered by Kumar in 2011 at the MCC, Lords, which is a part of their O/L English Literature anthology. The following students from Trinity participated: D.A. Basnayake I.T.B. Wijeratne D. Bandaranayake W.M.R.N.B. Walisundara J.S.K.B. Jayasekara (Photographs obtained from British Council, Kandy Facebook page)
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